Countless Clouds of Violet
by Azralan
Summary: Was supposed to be a snippet. There are boundaries everywhere, boundaries most of us are not even aware of. The people of Brockton Bay... and soon the world beyond, they shall learn of these boundaries. Alt!Power Taylor; some Touhou Chars later on - thus crossover. CANCELLED
1. Number 1

**Number one:** _countless clouds of violet_

I felt strange.

I felt as if something was calling me, drawing me closer with frightening persistence and tightening it's hold on me, desperately trying to keep me and my attention.

And I felt as if this place wasn't for me, not anymore.

It had all started with the locker... or did it end there? I wasn't sure.

After that fateful day in January, the day I came so close to the border of death as a human could without dying, I felt like I was not one of these people that surrounded me anymore. Like it wasn't proper for me to even interact with them, at least not in a completely friendly and honest way.

My body was buzzing with energy and my mind was ablaze, practically a high-traffic zone with all the thoughts swirling around. All the ideas I had...

But I supposed none of them were achievable.

The day of the locker marked the beginning.

It had been a horrible time; nobody helped me, most shunned me either out of blind spite or out of fear of being targeted themselves.

I had been isolated from my peers and family.

Nobody at school, or out of school, for that matter, wanted anything to do with me and my father had not been the same ever since my mother died; our family had slowly disconnected.

Hence I did not even call him 'dad' anymore. He really hadn't been for the last years.

If somebody would ask me now, what I thought about the world and it's problems; about the Endbringers and the Slaughterhouse; about my opinions...

I would have one simple sentence as answer for them:

'I really don't care.'

Never in my life had I felt so disconnected.

And neither had I ever felt quite so powerful.

I did not know what it was, but something was calling me. It felt like it was near me, like it followed me; almost like it was me and I was it.

And my thoughts ran wild during day and night, thinking about this feeling.

It called to me and I knew that I would not be a whole being until I found it.

And it plagued me to know that I was lesser and greater than before.

I was stronger, sure, but I felt truly incomplete.

Until it happened.

Walking through the streets of the city I was born in, I noticed the gangs' influence everywhere.

Spray painted walls and gang members scattered about.

I was living in a shithole, no doubt.

I wanted, needed a place of happiness in my life. A paradise of some sort.

There was always the option of writing stories, of thinking about and creating a universe, a paradise, in my mind.

But that wouldn't be real enough for me; that would just be an illusion... an illusionary paradise.

As I thought about it wandered the streets of a more deserted part of town, I suddenly felt hands on my back and was shoved into an alley.

I really should have observed my surroundings better.

"Now you little slut, you better give us your money or we're gonna fuck you up hard", my attacker stated while I was trying to stand up again, only to be shoved down by the second one.

"Eh, we could leave her addicted, couldn't we? Or take her with us; the other's would appreciate it", the second one was most likely either drunk or high... maybe both. These seemed to be 'merchants', after all.

I was frightened, at least a little bit, and I was not sure what to do.

But I was also angry.

How dared these lowlifes try something like that. Did they not know who they were talking to?!

I felt the heat and power within my body swirl angrily, conflicting with my fear and fighting for dominance.

In the end, anger won.

At that moment I was sure I had finally snapped.

"Listen up, insects. There won't be _anything_ for you tonight..."

My grin was positively, or negatively, depends on who you ask, savage and something dark swirled around me. It felt like limbs to me, like my own; they were a part of me.

And my attackers suddenly looked afraid.

"Shit! It's a cape. Run!", the one not frozen in fear turned around and swiftly made his way towards the exit of the alley.

"No escape for you!", I grinned and I was sure that I must have looked, at least slightly, insane at that moment.

I swung my arm down hard and felt my new 'limbs' for. In the air before the running thug, a deep crevice, a gap in the world, opened.

The thug noticed right in time and stopped before he could run into it.

It did not matter, though.

He was so close to the border of the gap; so close to it that a little flex of power moved the gap towards him.

He was swallowed by darkness soon after, his screams filling the alley and the air beyond.

Once he was out of sight, once the darkness had completely devoured him, a slight glow of some sort seemed to form within the gap; or was it the space the gap led to?

And like that, a white eye with a red iris opened itself, staring straight at the second thug which promptly screamed like Satan himself was after him.

"Not so confident now, huh?", my grin had diminished to a sadistic smile.

The gap widened and encompassed the entire entrance to the valley; the second one was not going to live through this, neither would he escape.

I smelled something and as I looked at the, still screaming, thug again, I realized that he had wet himself.

"Well then, time to say your last words...", with that the dark tear in space started moving into the alley, the eye still watching, eerily and unblinking.

And just a second later the second thug was removed from the world, another eye joining the first.

At my command the gap shrunk down to a much smaller size, still hovering before me.

I realized that this was what had called me. The part that would make me greater than before.

...And my chance to build my paradise.

At least once the time would be right.

I smiled to myself and thought about getting something else to wear; these clothes weren't really fitting me anymore.

With a small laugh, the gap widened and I stepped into my domain.

The alley was empty again, nothing except the slight smell of urine hinting that anything unusual had just transpired.

 _A/N: So... yeah. Not sure if I'll make this a snippet or something else... maybe a bigger story. I really like this one; it practically wrote itself. Anyway, let me know if you like it so far. I still have some ( or a lot of ) ideas. See (?) you soon._

 _-Azralan_


	2. Number 2

**Number 2:** _countless clouds of violet_

 _A/N: Alright, how this story is going to progress may be a bit different than how it's normally done with Worm fics. Try to guess who this is? Maybe? It will be rather obvious._

 _BEGIN!_

If the media was to be believed, nothing much had happened in the last few weeks.

I saw things differently.

Something in the city had changed.

For now it only seemed to affect the larger gangs, most of all the Merchants.

Their people seemed to vanish.

Whenever they sent out their thugs to sell their 'goods', said thugs just didn't return.

Even we were able to see Skidmark getting annoyed, and we weren't that interested in the merchants doings.

The Merchants seemed to get a lot more aggressive and sent out more and more of their high-as-fuck thugs to 'recruit' new ones; Skidmark was building an army.

Not a very threatening one, mind you, but an army nonetheless.

Only few of his gangbangers were successful, if the Merchants' current numbers were to be believed.

There was spray paint on the walls, stating that the 'coward should come and fight openly like a man'.

"So, who do you think is it? The Empire or ABB making a move?"

"No, the Merchants' thugs wouldn't just vanish if that was the case", I replied.

"It started quite some time ago, right? About a week?"

"Yes, Brian, it started Saturday last week"

"Well, whoever it is, at least the streets are cleaner, now", Brian's looked thoughtful, "I just wonder were all the Merchants went"

I closed my laptop and stood up.

"Anyway, I'm hungry, want something to eat?"

Out of the corner Alec spoke up.

"Let's get some pizza! A new pizzeria opened a few days ago and their only a few streets away"

Everybody else, which were just Brian and me, since Rachel had gone on a walk with her dogs, groaned.

"Please no, we already had pizza yesterday, and the day before, and-", Brian started.

"Alright, alright. No pizza today, got it.", he paused his video game and stood up, "Well, you better have some other ideas"

 **Line Break**

"So you know what to do? If you decide to do it, please do so on Wednesday, I want to know your choice before tomorrow evening", the bastard said over the phone.

"Yeah, sure thing... boss", with that I hung up and went back into the living room, where the rest of the Undersiders waited.

Brian and Alec were playing some video game and Rachel was sitting on a beanbag chair, surrounded by her dogs. While some people, especially second generation heroes, might say that villains were not people, well, let's just say that if that statement was true, we were really good at pretending to be people.

Well, we were a bunch of teenagers.

"So", I began, "the Boss has a job for us."

I waited until I had their attention to continue.

"He wants us to rob an ABB casino near the docks. Lung is unlikely to be there but we might be confronted with Oni Lee."

Brian frowned. "If Lung is there we'll die, unless there is some miracle at work. When are we supposed to do it?"

I grabbed a slice of pizza and sat down on the couch. "Wednesday evening. He says it's unlikely to be very risky. Some of his 'sources' have noticed the ABB preparing to march in on the Merchants; understandable, with the current situation in mind."

"I'm for it. There's money involved, right?", Alec said and Rachel grunted in agreement.

"Yes, the Boss estimates there to be around 30k. And for a low-risk job..."

"Well, if you're sure Lung won't be there, I'm in."

"Alright then, I'll call the boss tomorrow. We should prepare a bit, I'll see if I can find a map of the casino online. I might be able to figure out where the cash is."

"You do that, alright"

 **Line Break**

And like that we found ourselves before the casino on Wednesday.

Rain was pouring down and the atmosphere was tense.

"Now, everyone ready? You know the plan", Brian, now Grue, said.

"Yeah, sure. We just go in swarm it with darkness and let our living tanks do the fighting, no problem.", Alec said.

I wasn't really paying attention to them; my interest lay in the two people who just left the casino. From the rooftop of a building near the entrance I had a rather nice view.

One of them was an Asian man with a demon mask, and the sight made my heart stop; what was Oni Lee doing here?

He and the second person seemed to be talking.

 _Important business; Alliance? Yes/No, likely; Lung gathering forces, final strike at merchants; assistance request? Possibly._

Oni Lee nodded one last time at the second person and then turned to dust, the clone disintegrating.

The second person, a woman in a fancy but simple white and purple dress and dark, curly hair, opened her umbrella and stepped into the rain, making her way over to a nearby alley.

Before she entered the alley, she turned around and looked up, straight at me.

 _Follows own goals; not affiliated with any gang; behind attacks the Merchant's debacle; prefers indirect approach; not Pa-_

I was suddenly struck with an intense headache; it thankfully only lasted a few moments, but my powers line of thinking was broken.

The gir- woman's subtle smile broke into a knowing grin and I swear that, for just a moment, I could hear her laughter next to my ear.

Then she vanished into the alley.

"Tats, everything alright? You spaced out for a moment", Grue's voice was concerned.

"Wha- um, yeah. Everything is fine"

"Alright then, let's go"

And with that we mounted the dogs, a slightly nagging feeling in the back of my head making me restless.

 _A/N. Well now, that's done. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It wasn't very long, I know, but it got a point across. Feel free to speculate or anything. I also want to thank you for the positive reviews to the last chapter; really, thank you._

 _Alright, 'see' you._

 _-Azralan_


	3. Number 3

_Alright then, let's go. You know the drill ;)_

 **Number 3:** _countless clouds of violet_

I left the PRT building and, for the first time in a very long while, the meeting had spiked my interest; or rather, the information they told me had.

Somebody was taking care of the Merchants, quickly and efficiently.

As far as the PRT and Protectorate knew, it was a recent trigger, most likely a vigilante.

In other words, it was someone I could make use of, and I already had an idea on how to approach and find her.

I wouldn't want to waste any men engaging in a fight with her. At least not in the timeline I'd continue using.

I also had the option to see how she would fare against my minions.

I took the car back to my private little base of operations.

 **Line Break**

The hours after the meeting had been spent preparing my men.

They were supposed to find some of the Merchants thugs and discreetly follow them; once this mysterious new cape engaged the gang members, my soldiers would reveal themselves and start the interaction.

I had everything on live video and audio feed, of course.

And soon the hours of waiting paid off, as the squad found the Merchants with the new cape.

The cape itself seemed a bit on the strange side. Not like Case 53* strange, but... Myrddin strange. Maybe it was just the non-existent costume; she wore a simple but fancy white and purple dress, dark brown curls made up her hair and she had an umbrella in her left hand, understandable if you thought about the weather situation.

The point was: what the girl wore wasn't your typical hero's costume, most preferred spandex of some kind. The girl looked more like a rogue or villain.

The Merchants, apparently, had been prepared to encounter her and Skidmark might have told them to engage her and put her down; they had guns. One had a handgun, the other a shotgun and the third one seemed to prefer a standard bat... or maybe the Merchants didn't have more than two proper weapons, one could never know.

Either way, the girl with the rather stylish, albeit slightly old fashioned, dress didn't seem particularly threatened.

The merchants sputtered some nonsense of the "Imma take ya down, cunt" sort and the one with the handgun opened fire.

The girl just waved her hand and the bullets mid-air directly in front of her. And the thug had emptied the handgun's clip, the girl waved her hand again and the bullets accelerated again, backwards; they impacted in the thugs chest and shooting arm.

It really was a shame I wasn't able to make out what they were saying; my soldiers had to be subtle and if they went to close they would be noticed.

Needless to say the handgun guy went down, probably whimpering a bit. Merchants...

The other two became wary and went at her both at once.

The girl simply caught the bat of thug one and shoved the guy into the shotgun thug who had just pressed the trigger. Both went down, one dead and the other one because of the corpses' weight.

The girl looked at them a little coldly and said something before a gaping black hole opened in mid-air, the other side of it seemed to have something that glowed red, and black arms wounds around all three thugs; the gap in the air pretty much swallowed them.

All the while the screams of those still alive could be heard.

Well... definitely not terrifying, nope...

"Now, move forward", I gave my orders.

Through the camera in the squad leaders helmet, I saw them moving forward, fanning out slightly. The squad arrived at the alley soon and I could see the girl looking at them; at first her face held an intrigued expression but, after seeing that my men were armed, the expression morphed into a glare and scowl.

"What do you want? Are you from the PRT?", she questioned.

"We come in peace, we just want to talk and give you an invitation"

"I'm not sure I want to trust someone pointing a gun at me", the girl looked irritated.

"We don't want to harm you, but since we are not sure you won't harm us, well, better safe than sorry"

"Alright then, I promise not to hurt you, until you've made your point, at least"

The squad lowered their weapons, most only reluctantly.

"First of all, our boss has noticed your... conflicts with the Merchants and he is intrigued. He sends you his regards and an invitation. Also", the squad leader motioned with his left hand and a soldier came forward to hand him a briefcase, "he has prepared a present for you."

The girl took the briefcase from the leader and, with a sceptical look at the squad, opened it to find several bundles of bank notes; all in all there were about 15.000 Dollars in it.

The girls eyes widened I took the opportunity.

"Tell her that there's more for her if she accepts a proposal I'm going to make once she gets here"

"There is more where that came from. All you have to do is to accept the boss' invitation; he has a proposal for you"

As quickly as the girls wide-eyed expression had come, it morphed into an expression of humour after hearing that. She even laughed slightly, a hand held up before her mouth.

"You really think I'd have a need for this thing you insects value so much? But alright, I shall meet your boss. Lead me to him, I don't have all day", she opened another black gap in the air next to her and put the briefcase inside.

The squad leader motioned for her to follow and they made their way to the truck used for transport.

 **Line Break**

I had used the time they used to travel to my base efficiently. I now knew the name of the girl; if facial recognition software was to be believed her identity was Taylor Hebert, a fifteen-year-old student of Winslow High. She had been in the hospital at the start of the year, after an incident involving her locker.

The 'good old' locker prank; this time it had involved hazardous material. I assumed that was where and when she triggered.

I took a look at the security camera's footage and closed the search results for the Hebert girl on the computer screen.

I quickly took my relaxed position in my office chair and folded my hands in front of me; this pose never failed to intimidate the people seeing it for the first time, even if it was only a tiny bit intimidation, it could still be useful. I quickly split the timeline again after discarding the reality where my squad engaged her in combat because of a mistake one of the soldiers made...

At least now I knew not to push that button...

The doors to the chamber opened and two soldiers escorted my guest inside; I dismissed them and motioned for the Hebert girl to sit.

"Please, take a seat", I began, "As you surely have heard, I have a proposition for you. I would also like to discuss your recent interactions with the merchants"

"I thought as much", the girl leaned back in her chair and seemed at ease; to me, this was discomforting for several reasons. It meant that she did not feel threatened, even if she was inside the heavily guarded base of a 'crime lord'. She continued: "Please, tell me more about your 'proposition'"

"You see, I wanted to offer you a job under me. You're obviously exceedingly efficient in taking down the opposition and I'd like to put your talents to good use", I took a short pause.

She motioned her hand for me to continue and I took it in stride, even if I grit my teeth at her casual gesture.

"Sadly, since you already informed my soldiers that you do not care about monetary payment, I am afraid that there is not much I can offer you for your services, unless, of course, you name asufficient replacement for money"

She laughed a little, it was ore of a chuckle, really.

"I don' think you have anything I am interested in. To be honest, I don't care much about the world anymore. I just want the Bay to become a safer place, as the last gift to my... Well, anyway, I don't think you have anything of interest."

I managed to hold back an evil grin.

"Oh, but I do think I have something in that case. My goal is to make the Bay a better place; that is why I do not recruit civilians and turn them into gang members. I hire trained personnel and want to retake the bay from the gangs", I told her, my confidence returning.

She looked intrigued.

"I am satisfied with neither the PRT's not the Protectorate's accomplishments in Brockton Bay. My plan, well... let's just say I have the means necessary to change the city, should the current PRT director be removed. Now I ask you to help me with my endeavours; you attacking the merchant's is already a big help"

"So you ask for an alliance? I am sorry, but I do not want to associate myself with anybody too directly. I work alone, for now"

"That is truly a shame, the all I can hope for is us parting ways peacefully. Thank you for coming here, though"

"Of course, have a good night"

"You as well"

And with that she was swallowed by another black gap floating mid-air, and once again I could not clearly see the other side.

 **Line Break**

As soon as she was gone I decided to test her. Since I still had the timeline split, there wasn't any need to do so again.

I would send the Undersiders after her; that should be a sufficient enough test. It would enable me analyse her fighting style in detail and maybe Tattletale could figure something out.

 **Line Break**

"Shit, shit, shit...", that had been a bad idea.

I had been a short battle, one the Undersides had lost horribly.

After having been beaten mercilessly, Tattletale must have figured something out that frightened the Thinker so much, she agreed to help Hebert without any resistance. Needless to say this lead to my current dilemma. An angry, most likely S-Class parahuman breaking into my base, murdering my men and-

I recoiled from the sound of the door to the chamber opening.

"So much for leaving in peace... Coil, coil, coil...", she walked towards me, a malicious glint in her eyes; I could swear they hadn't been purple during our conversation...

Behind the girls stood Tattletale, white as chalk, muttering something to herself over and over again.

"Now, it's time for you to go... it's time to end your mortal coil..."

And like that darkness engulfed me on all sides except my front, gaps opening around me.

I could finally make out the red glowing things on the other side; they were the glowing red pupils of dozens of eyes, staring out of the portal, unblinking.

I screamed...

..and cancelled the timeline.

 _A/N: Yep, it's done. Have fun reading it^^ I sure had some during the writing process, especially when I wrote the dialogue. #sophisticatedTaylor ;)_

 _See you next time._

 _* Seriously, does anybody else see the connection to the P53 suppressor protein, or is it just me? ( wiki/P53)_


	4. Number 4

**Number 4:** _countless clouds of violet_

It was time.

My men were assembled and our enemies would be destroyed by us.

One gang less to hinder us from ruling supreme; the Nazis would have to yield hereafter.

Once we have control of this scum's territory, we will hold the most territory.

There was only one problem with that... The Protectorate was weak and understaffed here in the Bay, they would not start an attack against the gangs; once we are the only ones remaining, that might change.

In contrary to what most people believe of me, I am not dumb. You don't become the leader of such a large gang by being dumb.

People see not attacking weaker enemies as dumb but for me it is a question of honour and pride.

Why should the strongest fight with the weakest when they do not stand in his way regardless.

But now was a good time to remove this filth from my city.

This new cape had already weakened the Merchants and gave us the location of their current headquarters. We were suspicious at first, but once the girl made clear that she sought out a temporary alliance with us, I and my lieutenant decided to trust her, for now.

"Are you ready?", I bellowed out in Chinese, and the men inside the crowded warehouse answered with a chorus of "Yes"... in several languages.

Just the someone appeared beside me and I turned to see my masked lieutenant.

"Lee, what are you doing here already? Weren't you supposed to arrive with the men from the casino?"

"I gave them the location. _She_ told me some things, proposed a combined strike on the Empire in four days time"

My face twisted itself into a feral grin, that would be a good opportunity to test the gangs new member; the cape was currently tinkering in a workshop nearby since I figured we wouldn't need bombs to finish off the Merchants.

"I have a feeling she might already know, but tell her we agree, the next time you meet her"

Lee nodded and I turned to the assembled men.

"Alright then, are you ready!? Tonight we are coming one step closer to controlling this city. After the disgusting filth that calls itself a gang, that empire scum will soon follow. Now, follow me!"

And with that I turned and made my way out of the warehouse, cries and shouts of agreement resounding from it's walls.

 **PoV Change**

"That cock-sucking little whore...", I cursed beneath my breath, "What is it now!?"

One of the men came running inside, frantic... little sucker was probably high as hell, that wide were his eyes.

"We're being attacked! It's Lung and the ABB, they're coming for us!", he shouted at me.

Damn that Asian scum, almost as bad as the Nazis...

"Yeah, yeah. Ready the men", I turned around, "Squealer, get your ass in gear and ready the new truck! Hurry up, bitch!"

How the fuck did they find us... I know people say I'm dumb, and I might not be the brightest one, but we _are_ moving our main base constantly. And then they attack at this time when we are weakest after that cock-sucking newbie decimated these useless sons of bitches.

But there was no use in thinking too much about it; I grabbed a shotgun and didn't waste another thought on that cunt.

The Merchants had a battle to win.

 **PoV Change**

"There they are. Make no mistake, they _are_ a bunch of high addicts; but a bunch of armed addicts nonetheless. I'll take Skidmark, your job is to send those idiots running. Show them not to mess with the ABB!"

The foot soldiers roared and charged at the Merchants, weapons held high or aimed.

"Lee, come with me. We've got scum to fry", my trusty lieutenant nodded and promptly became dust. I made my way to the truck that just appeared, the battle filling me with energy.

 **Line Break**

The battle was raging and I was thriving in it.

My Lungs burned, both with fire and the need to let that fire loose; I had transformed, my wings almost grown out.

Everything around me was burning and the air was shimmering with heat, sending the Merchant-scum running while they pissed their pants and cried for their mothers.

Many Merchants were dead, some Asians as well. Many an enemy had a slit throat and even more were burned.

I roared as I ripped another chunk of metal out of the tinker's truck.

This battle had been an easy win from the start.

Squealer had gone down soon enough, Lee knocked her out once he got a visual on her.

Skidmark had been more of a challenge; a challenge that was overcome after some time. The Merchant's leader lay unconscious near a wall, bruised all over.

I sent another blast of flame at nearby Merchants and the ran as fast as their puny laégs could carry them; this was what I lived for.

I was Lung and there was nothing that would stop me.

Around me flames and shadow danced, screams echoing through the night.

This was my life, my profession, my purpose in this world.

I was _Lung._

…

And above in the air, a helicopter roared. It made its way over to the main street where some open space for landing was available. Several trucks with big letters printed on them had already parked there, the letters read 'PRT'.

And as the helicopter landed and several costumed individuals disembarked, a dark thing opened and a woman stepped out, facing the new arrivals.

The Protectorate of Brockton Bay had arrived, the Parahuman Response Teams in formation behind them, and they faced a new Challenger.

All the while the battle roared.

 _A/N: So, what do you think? It's not that long, but I have some things for the next chapter and it will most likely be longer. I hope I got Lung about right, he struck me as the proud warrior type._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and all the reviews I have been getting for the last chapters._

 _-Azralan_


	5. Number 5

**Number 5:** _countless clouds of violet_

"I am sorry, but I will not let you interfere with this fight", the girl before us spoke, "It is much too important for me..."

Armsmaster stepped forward and replied, his halberd already at his side, several tiny lights on it blinking, "And what makes you think you could stop us from interfering? Why would this fight even interest you?"

The girl looked amused, "Now, don't use that old tactic; I won't tell you my thoughts or plans, that would just ruin the surprise... It should be enough for you to know that I am going to stand in your way, should you decide to interfere with the Dragon's fight"

It honestly surprised me, that one single girl had the balls to stand her ground against the Protectorate's entire ENE branch. Sure, villains were pretty ballsy, but that took it to the extreme; it was something I could only imagine Lung doing.

And then came the second surprise.

Beside me, Shadow Stalker muttered something under her breath...

"-the Fuck... Hebert?"

It seemed like she knew the girl personally.

I was not the only one who had heard Stalker; Miss Militia had heard it, too.

"You know her, Shadow Stalker?", her eyes were stern as she asked for more information about the cape before us.

Shadow Stalker seemed to be a little reluctant to answer, "Yeah, she goes to my school... stopped coming there a while ago... maybe three or four weeks. She's nothing special, we can take her no problem; heck, even I, alone, could take her on"

"Don't think we'll let you stop us. Out directive is to stop Lung from further escalation and prevent the fire from spreading further. Out of our way!", Armsmaster ordered the girl.

With that, the soldiers around us trained their guns at the girl.

Personally, I would have been intimidated -or at least shown discomfort- if I were in her shoes; she just frowned.

"Well, if you really want to go through with this... Be warned, though. Once you decide to fight there is no going back"

Armsmaster clearly didn't like being 'mocked' and attacked her head-on.

Not something you would expect from someone who likes to over-prepare...

The leader of the ENE Protectorate branch swung his halberd towards her head so that, on impact, the flat side would hit it.

As it was, the girl simply stopped the blow with her hand.

"But since you decided to fight me, at least stop fooling around, Arms _master_ "

Armsmaster engaged her harder after that, trying to get her to back off slightly so the PRT could foam her. She either knew about his plan, or she was simply too proud to fall into his trap.

Miss Militia seemed on edge when she turned to me.

"Clock, freeze her!"

I looked over to my companion in her green outfit and she nodded, exerting her power to compress the space in front of me. I locked eyes with the girl, her slightly purple eyes widening in recognition; she seemed to have noticed Vista's power and knew what it meant for her. This meant I needed to act fast. My hand shot out and hit something solid and I activated my-

Shit! I was stuck in my costume...

I somehow hit my own costume and froze it; it's a good thing my power didn't freeze me.

It was also a good thing that this position wasn't _too_ uncomfortable.

I was brought back to reality by several others engaging the girl while she herself jumped back.

"Alright, now that he's out of the game there's no reason to hold back anymore..."

She grinned maliciously as the space around her _ripped open_ in several places, the crevices opening further to reveal a horrid black void with red eyes staring unblinkingly at us.

It seemed to be moving; it seemed to be alive; it seemed to be watching deep into me...

The gaps in space widened further and surrounded us on all sides and once they swallowed the helicopter and the truck...

I couldn't help it anymore.

 _I screamed_ and everything went dark.

 _A/N: So, yeah. Not the most impressive chapter I've ever written. I really just wanted to update (and shy away from a fight scene). What happens next is up to your imagination... or you might find out if you piece together some clues from the next few chapters (and some of the previous ones)._

 _Again, sorry for the short chapter._

 _-Azralan_


	6. Number 6

**Number 6:** _countless clouds of violet_

Life was so stressful, these days.

I have to admit that I, during these last few years, thought about giving up more that once.

But I just couldn't do it... Taylor was too precious for me to ever do something like _that_ ; too precious to give up.

What was wrong?

Everything.

I had lost my wife, my men at the docks were in danger of losing their jobs, the city got worse every single day.

It was a city I just wanted to leave behind... but I couldn't.

I couldn't even move out of the house, for several reasons.

Not enough money.

The risk of moving into an even more dangerous neighbourhood.

And all the _memories_.

There were a lot of memories holding me, binding me to this place; I couldn't just leave and shame _her_ memory.

And then, a few months ago, everything got significantly worse.

My daughter, my precious daughter was being bullied...

She had been betrayed by her best friend, betrayed by the school staff... And I hadn't been there for her. I hadn't even noticed; I was struck with grief and sadness from Annette's death.

And just when I thought it had gotten better, they broke her.

The locker had been the last straw for me, really.

But I still couldn't do anything about it; apparently, there had not been any witnesses.

Or maybe nobody was brave enough to speak up.

And then, a while after Taylor was released from the hospital she disappeared. She went out to the library and never came back.

…

I missed her.

I knew I haven't been such a great father, and I regret that.

I regret not staying with her, comforting her when she needed me most.

I couldn't have given her hope because I'd been hopeless myself.

But weeks, _weeks_ without hearing from her. I didn't even now if she was alive.

And then I found the notebook... the compilation of all the things her tormentors did to her; just thinking about it made me furious.

They tripped her, stole her things, _stole Annette's flute_ , drenched her in juice and _so much more_.

I was simply lost.

Was this why she left? Did she leave because she didn't see a way out?

While I thought about all that, my anger surged up again.

"WHY? TAYLOR, HOW COULD YOU?!", I screamed out and threw the notebook against the wall, away from me.

After all the things I had done for her... after not giving up despite feeling so hopeless... she just ran away?

I really needed some time to calm down and I was lucky that there wasn't any work for today; the big fight at the docks had wrecked the place up good.

"Damn gangs making life here worse, day after day", it really was already hard to begin with.

I decided to settle down on the couch and maybe get an update on the current situation... the fight was only yesterday, after all; there surely was going to be an interview with the Protectorate.

I turned on the TV and scrolled through the list of available channels. Ah, there was an interview going on.

" _Now, Director, how do you explain the total defeat of the PRT and the Protectorate yesterday night? Our sources state you only engaged one single Parahuman. Surely the combined forces of the Parahuman Response Teams and the Protectorate would be able to defeat a single enemy?"_

The Director, a small label informed- answered with a question.

" _Have these combined forces been able to go against Lung in the past? Or against the Endbringers? There is a level of power at which masses don't affect you anymore. Some Capes have an incredibly powerful ability while others are simply smarter than their opponents. The extremely dangerous ones are the ones that are both more powerful and smarter than their opponent"_ , the rather obese woman stated.

Armsmaster spoke up next: _"And, while we lost the battle, we gained a lot of information on the new cape both from observation and from an 'inside source'. First of all, to inform and alarm the public, this is how the girl looks; we decided to codename her 'Void' for now, seeing as she seems to create holes in space"_

On the screen appeared the picture of a girl, hands slightly outstretched to the sides and mouth open, as if she had been talking the moment the photography was shot. A mass of black surrounded her, seemingly forming portals, gaps, into nothingness... One could see nothing but the red eyes watching unblinkingly through these portals.

The girl herself, and I couldn't believe it, looked almost exactly like my daughter.

It was her, I simply knew it.

And wasn't sure if I should feel happy for, or be angry at her.

After all, she simply disappeared on me and didn't even call or anything... I hadn't heard from her in a month!

"Oh, Taylor..."

The PRT Director spoke again: _"Our initial evaluation classifies her as a high-level Shaker, possibly nine or ten; she also seems to be some kind of Brute and without any over-speculation we can assume her Brute level to be at least three. We are not sure about other classifications, but since her shaker ability allows her fast travel she would also be a mover."_

Now, I definitely wasn't an expert on Parahuman powers, but I was sure the high numbers meant that my daughter was fairly powerful; higher numbers were almost always better.

However, I wasn't sure if my daughter being powerful was such a good thing since it meant a lot of people would be out for her blood, or to recruit her. After the whole thing with the Protectorate, the second option didn't seem so likely anymore.

The interview went on in the background, but I wasn't interested in it anymore; the reporter had started asking questions about some rumours on PHO, and if they were true.

Why did Taylor, my precious daughter, leave?

I know that I wasn't the best father possible, but I really loved and cared for her; Annette's death had just demanded most of my attention. I just didn't have the mental capacity to grief in peace _and_ care for my daughter.

I hope that wasn't the reason she left...

Maybe all the stuff that had happened to her in school had been the last straw.

I just couldn't help myself...

I had missed my daughter, I worried for her health; I started to cry, letting the tears flow freely.

My glasses became wet and soon it was hard to see anything farther away than five feet.

Soon slight shaking joined the tears, and maybe some whimpers as well... not that any man liked to admit that. It was just this feeling of overwhelming loss.

I decided that I would try and lay down for a moment, try to calm myself down; I went up the stairs.

Opening the door to my room, I swore I could hear my Taylor speak to me...

I slipped into bed, tucked myself in and my head hit the pillow...

Was that paper on it?

I sat up again and took the small note into my hands. I cleaned my glasses, put them back on and read the letter.

 _Dearest Father,_

 _I am truly sorry for what I have done, for leaving you._

 _I admit that I was kind of pulled along by my powers and rushed some things._

 _And after I found out abut some things... I just did not see another possibility._

 _I am sorry, but do not be too sad; I will see you soon enough..._

 _In love: your dearest daughter,_

 _Taylor_

 _PS: What's for dinner?_

 _A/N: Aaaaaand... cut._

 _Well, that was a chapter I hope was at least a little bit more satisfying than the last one. I thought it was time for a little break from all the... is it called angst? I'm not quite sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, leave your opinion as a review if you want; also big thanks to all who have reviewed the last one._

 _Until next time,_

 _Azralan._


	7. Number 7

**Number 7:** _countless clouds of violet_

My boss turned to us. "Get ready, ABB gang members have been spotted in our territory.

I nodded at him, resolute to show the Asians who's boss; I already donned my costume and just waited for my partner to get her weapons. Once she was ready, we gathered some of our men and went outside; there wasn't any point in driving there, it was just a few streets away and those Asians probably didn't even know we would come for them.

It was too easy, really.

Our men were the bravest the Empire had to offer and the Asian scum would stand no chance.

We stopped moving once we saw a warehouse burning; it was one of ours. And the second thing I noticed once I stopped, was the mass of Asians, all armed with guns, blades or improvised melee weapons, it seriously looked like the entirety of the Azn Bad Boyz was assembled and ready to fight, ready for an all out invasion.

At that instance I realized two things: I realized that just our men had no chance of victory, at least not for a brute force victory. The second thing I realized was... both Oni Lee and Lung were missing. If this was truly an invasion, wouldn't it make sense to have the major players here as well? And their positioning... they were easily surrounded.

It was dumb, in a lot of ways.

The Empire had the most Parahumans of all the Gangs, even the Protectorate didn't have as many. There was also the fact that this was just a small bit of our territory and we could simply choose to surround them. They put themselves into an unfavourable position.

So much for the 'Art of War'.

Hookwolf, too, seemed to have caught onto the fact that this was an invasion; he pulled out his phone and made a call, presumably to contact Kaiser. He probably suspected something about Lung and Lee, as well.

Through experience, I knew that, as much as a warrior may pride himself on his experience, numbers were a big factor in battles; charging in would be a bad idea, and I needed to wait for orders, anyway; I was growing restless, nonetheless.

Our group started moving again, surrounding the enemy forces, after Hookwolf barked some orders.

"They're surrounded, attack them now and remove this infestation from the Bay! Forward, my chosen warriors!", Hookwolf's statement was met with a roar of approval.

I could see our men storm at the invaders, determined to take them down and finally get the Empire it's eternal place in the sun.

I looked over at my partner and nodded; together we stormed off towards the enemy.

 **Line Break**

We had them, finally.

They truly were idiots for storming a building when the majority of their foe's forces were outside of it. It made them vulnerable.

But... something was off about the whole thing...

This couldn't be the entirety of the Bad Boyz; hell, they were eighty people at maximum.

Sure, they were rather well armed, for ABB standards, at least, but where was the rest of them. No wonder we didn't have any trouble pushing them further into our building and surrounding them.

Had they done the same thing to the Merchants? I could easily imagine that scum being eradicated by such a simple invasion.

The rows of soldiers behind our line of capes parted and Kaiser stepped forward, Fenja and Menja at his sides. He held up a gloved gauntlet and all the excited battle cries stopped.

"My men, it seems as if we have defended what is ours without much trouble. Your valiant stand shall not be forgotten, for we have cleansed our city of another bunch of scum. We have greatly diminished their forces and the only ones in our way now are their leaders and the rest of their wretched gang. We shall enjoy our victory, for it was swift and decisive; here we stand, our enemies at our feet, begging for mercy! Stand straight and be proud, my Empire! Rise and be proud!"

Roaring approval rang through the night and the moon shone down at us.

Quieter – meant only for the capes to hear – he continued.

"We all know this was not the real invasion; that move was excessively dumb, even for the ABB. A storm is approaching, a storm of an unknown sort, but a storm nonetheless..."

"A storm of fire, perhaps? Burning through the night, it's flames kindled by the moon shining oh so bright"

We turned around at the unknown voice.

There, alone amongst several of our members stood a girl. She was dressed in a simple but noble violet dress, a parasol in her right hand and long brown hair flowing in the night's breeze.

I don't think anyone of us had any idea how she might have gotten there unnoticed.

Her eyes gleamed mischievously like amethysts.

"Come forth, my storm, and do as you please. Feast and burn with vigour, for your fuel, shall be your enemies..."

Her right hand swung to the side and with a horrible ripping sound, a gap in the air – scarlet eyes gleaming and promising terrible pain – opened and widened, ever further.

More ripping sounds rang through the night, all clearly audible as total silence stretched across the Empire, it's breath taken away by the display before them.

And then the first thugs – all clearly Asian and armed to the teeth – exited these strange portals.

And directly behind the girl, through the first gap that opened that night, a flaming metal dragon stepped through, a demon-masked figure at it's side.

"Come forth, and finish this fight!"

And all hell descended upon us.

 _A/N: Yay, finally the project work for school is done; it took my group long enough... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll be trying to make up for all the time I didn't write. But first of all, I want to thank all of you for the reviews, it's always nice to get those, especially when a pleasant conversation originates from such a comment. Thank you very much, those are a great motivation. Anyway, thank you for reading._

 _-Azralan, signing out._


	8. Number 8

**Number 8:** _countless clouds of violet_

I was, for the first time in a long while, truly happy.

I'd gotten my daughter back; the same daughter I had failed to support during the bullying escapades at school; the same daughter that had simply left without a goodbye.

Yes, life was looking good for now. The Dockworkers association had somehow gotten an important job that kept us supplied with money – it didn't matter what some people said, cleaning the old boat graveyard was important if they ever wanted to go back to shipping something. The fear of Leviathan was there, of course, but honestly? It's not like they didn't have planes just because the Simurgh existed.

So now that the job had been more or less revived and his Taylor was back, I was finally able to feel happiness again; a beautiful feeling I had been deprived off for so long after Annette died.

The more immediate reason for the happiness was that Taylor had decided to spend some time with me.

I had originally been rather angry at her – which was understandable, what father wouldn't be angry at his daughter for leaving – but now I had come to terms with all that had happened. I knew that I should have been there for Taylor during the whole bullying thing, I should have taken a more proactive role; I didn't and it had cost me, my daughter.

But, even though she was back, she had changed. I knew all that happened during her time away from me had done something to her. She moved differently, she talked differently...

If she didn't look so much like Taylor – the only exception being her eyes and her now suspiciously silky hair – I would have thought someone was trying to impersonate her. Of course, the safety questions had reassured me somewhat.

I neatly tied my tie around my neck and looked at myself in the mirror again; I wanted to look good for our 'reunion dinner' – Taylor had decided to call it that not me – and she had said that it would be a high-class restaurant we'd be going to.

There was no way I was gonna mess up our big reunion.

I opened the bathroom door and went downstairs, intent on waiting for my daughter's arrival with a nice cup of coffee.

Before I even settled down, the doorbell rang and I moved to open the entrance door.

I briefly looked through the spy hole to confirm it was my daughter and not some random thug intent on making a ruckus.

I confirmed her identity and opened the door.

She looked at me appraisingly.

"You look good, the dark blue was a good choice, it compliments your eyes. Are you ready?"

And what was I supposed to say to her strolling up with a fancy violet dress like that? It looked positively Victorian...

"Sure, of course, I'm ready; you look very nice, yourself... Do I want to ask where you've got the money you spent for the dress?"

She looked at me and smiled. "It was a gift from a friend, for helping her out. She's an up and coming fashion designer here in Brockton Bay"

Her words reassured me, at least. "So, where is the restaurant you're taking me to? Do I know it?"

She seemed a bit nervous as she answered. "It is a bit of a larger distance away so – if you don't mind, that is – well be travelling via gap"

Ah, that was another thing that had changed about her.

My daughter was a parahuman and, at least from what she told me, one that would also be classified as a 'Mover', someone that had enhanced mobility and, in some cases, was able to transport others as well.

It was sad that that wasn't the strangest things that had happened...

"Alright, do you want to come in so we can start our journey here?"

"That would be preferable, yes", she stepped inside.

"So, where are we going, exactly? I'm curious", and I really was.

She smiled a bit too wide for my taste, "You'll see. Once we finished with dinner, we'll meet with a friend that I know from the region that is going to go sightseeing for a bit. She'll just show us around, nothing too fancy"

A friend? Honestly – even if that kind of view on things was a bit mean – I didn't expect Taylor to have friends; not after all the stuff Emma did.

"Alright, then. Let's go"

My daughter waved a hand and one of her black portals opened before us, red eyes staring unblinkingly; it was a strange sight and I could imagine how frightening this would be if the gap's commander bore any ill will towards me.

As it was, however, my daughter simply took me by my hand and led me into it.

Space inside felt neither warm nor cold, I suppose you could say it was room temperature, albeit it still feeling strange.

Unlike in my expectations, no random red eyes were flowing around, instead, they seemed to be off in the distance.

Once I was fully inside, the hole in space behind us closed up and my daughter waved her hand again.

On the other side of the now formed rift was a busy looking, crowded area. Neon signs flashed and the traffic made it's usually unmistakable noise. We stepped outside and Taylor's gap closed behind us.

I found myself in and alleyway, somewhere I absolutely did not recognize, my hand clutching my daughter's tightly.

She turned around with a smile. "Welcome to Osaka"

The sight of my expression must have been rather amusing since my daughter giggled slightly.

She pulled me forward, into the crowded are. "Come on, we still have seats reserved"

I obliged, still blinking rapidly at the sights around me.

 **Line Break**

The food had been fantastic. Never had I thought I would ever taste traditional Japanese food – especially not from, Japan! - but I did that day...

Taylor was speaking to the waitress and pulled out her purse, intent on paying.

"Hey, wait. I still have to pay for my part, I am the father, after all. It wouldn't do to let my daughter pay for everything", I spoke up in protest.

"Dad, you don't even have your purse with you... And it really is no problem, I have enough money. And, even if you did have your purse with you, I doubt you'd have some actual yen inside there", my daughter pointed out in a deadpan tone.

Ah, right. My face was heating up.

So Taylor paid for both of us and we made our way out of the restaurant, the waitress giving me a subtle, weird look after my little outburst before.

"Now, don't be put off by my friends attitude, she might seem a bit airheaded, but she really isn't. She just likes to toy with people a bit, just like me", Taylor smiled.

"Alright, if you say so..."

"Ah, she's right over there. Come on!", she grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, toward a traffic light. She shouted something in Japanese and, turning to me, said, "She isn't very proficient in English, so don't talk too fast and she should understand you fine"

Then I saw who Taylor was dragging me toward; a young woman with, strangely enough, pink hair was smiling and waving at us, dressed in simple, blueish clothes.

They greeted each other and Taylor introduced us to each other.

"Dad, this is my friend, Saigyouji Yuyuko"

 _A/N: And that's it for now. Quite a refreshing chapter to write, really. Anyway, anyone up for a Danny/Yuyuko shipping? No? Oh ;-;..._

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you next time ;)_

 _-Azralan_


	9. PHO (experimental interlude)

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Topic: New Cape cleans up?

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay ► Cape Doings

 **Lo A Quest** (Original Poster)

Posted on April 8, 2011:

Alright then, some of you might have heard already, but there is a new cape in the Bay and it's decided to clean up the city.

As far as I know, it started with some disappearing Merchants and escalated from there.

The ABB seems to have some sort of alliance with the new cape but I don't have any proof.

Anybody knows what's going on? Maybe a name?

 **(Showing Page 2 of 6)**

► **Bagrat** (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Considering a lot of this thread has been speculation so far, here are a the things we know so far.

There has been no confirmed name for the cape that caused these Merchant disappearances so far.

The cape first became active on February 4th when two Merchants were reported missing. Over the course of the few weeks after that, more and more members went missing; the PRT first suspected a new cape because the way they simply disappeared did not fit the style of any other Villain so far.

The ABB and the new cape instituted a joint assault on the Merchants on March 6th. When the Protectorate and some of the Wards tried to intervene, the mystery cape - single-handedly, as some rumours say - prevented them from intervening.

That's all I have for now.

► **TommyTheTomTom**

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Maybe some kind of secret Parahuman-Hitman?

Something like Faultline's crew, a mercenary.

Either way, it's a pretty aggressive approach to things.

► **Antigone**

Replied on April 9, 2011:

That wouldn't explain the disappearances of single Merchants. Who would pay for something like that?

► **XxVoid CowboyxX**

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Why would ANYONE target the merchants, for that matter? It's not like they're really a threat or anything.

Just some silly, always-high thugs...

► **TRJ**

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Since we still don't have a name, why don't we just call her Violet or something... is there already a cape with that name?

She seems to like that colour if the few photos are anything to go by.

 **[LINK]**

► **AnswerKey**

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Where did you get those?

And are you sure that's the Parahuman we're talking about?

She doesn't seem that threatening, she looks like she'S just chilling in the sun.

► **Clockblocker** (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)

Replied on April 9, 2011:

Don't say something like that about a cape.

I mean... look at Vista, does she look that threatening to you? No? Well, she's a Shaker 9!

What I'm trying to say is... don't underestimate someone based on their looks... Her power is terrifying, I've experienced it, myself.

► **Bagrat** (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)

Replied on April 10, 2011:

Apparently, the ABB and the new Cape did another joint assault, yesterday night. This time, they took out the Empire Eighty-Eight.

I have to say that I agree with CB, her power is not to be underestimated.

From the reports I hear that the PRT decided to call her 'Gap' for now; there wasn't anything to go by since the cape herself never really spoke that much.

The temporary power designations are Shaker 8 and Mover 6.

Here's the official PRT report from the nights damage assessment.

 **[LINK]**

► **XxVoid CowboyxX**

Replied on April 10, 2011:

Seriously? She actually pulled off a crappy rhyme like that?

Wow, and there goes the badass factor...

Never have high hopes...

► **Chilldrizzle**

Replied on April 10, 2011:

Um, could you, you know... Maybe NOT piss off the cape that commands creepy holes with eyes in them to swallow people alive?!

I mean, yeah, the rhyme wasn't Poe level or anything... but it wasn't that bad, either. Better than Kaiser's speech, for sure.

But could we get back on topic now?

What do you guys think the newly dubbed Gap's motives are?

End of Page. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Private message from **VioletCloud** :

 **VioletCloud** : I don't like you, you're putting your nose where it doesn't belong. Stop looking for answers where you won't find them.

 **AllSeingEye** : ... How did you find me?

 **AllSeingEye** : And how did you know who I am?

 **VioletCloud** : I... have my sources. But that's not the point: Stop trying to find out more. It won't be good for you. In fact, you could say it would lead to some major headache...

 **VioletCloud** *New Message*: This is your last warning.

 **Line Break**

I closed my laptop, suddenly scared.

"Should we still go through with this?", I asked my teammates.

 _A/N: Alright. Experimental chapter, right here. I'm not sure if this should stay in this story, but I'm posting it for now. The converting of the PHO Interlude Generator intoOpenOffice didn't go that well.  
Anyway, short update and not really a chapter. Thanks for putting up with this crap^^_

 _-Azralan_

 _Edit [20.02.2016]: Number 10 (chapter 11) might take a bit longer and is going to be a lot bigger than the previous chapters. It's currently at 2K words and nowhere near finished (maybe 20%)._


	10. Number 9

**Number 9:** _countless clouds of violet_

We had decided to go through with the plan.

It was risky, sure, and we only did this because Coil promised us a LOT of money if we went through with this.

It wouldn't be worth it, if we got caught, though.

But honestly? The only thing I was worried about was that "Gap"-girl.

Her finding out about my... endeavours? Pretty darn creepy.

And it didn't really help that my power never got a good read on her. It always seemed to slip up at some point.

I don't really think she meant me being a villain when she threatened me.

And if she did, I was screwed either way; on one side were Coil and his men and on the other this Gap character. The only thing I wasn't sure about was which one was worse.

A subtle mastermind-manipulator that basically held a gun to my head all the time, or an aggressive new cape with – as far as I could tell – a minor god complex and a desire to change the city drastically.

What didn't help the situation either, was that I _knew_ Coil had somehow antagonized her. I just didn't know how exactly he had managed that.

The van rumbled on the street and it's inhabitants, me and my teammates, were tense.

It was an exhilarating setting.

"You all ready? Bitch, how are the dogs?"

Rachel just grunted – it was affirmative, I knew that by now – and continued with the usage of her power, making the dogs grow ever larger.

Sadly, we couldn't grow them too big, or else they wouldn't fit into the van.

"When we're finally through with this, I'm just gonna lay down and relax", yup, that was Alec right there.

Honestly, I was with him during this. Something was off about the whole thing, but I simply couldn't put my finger on it.

Robbing a high-profile bank during the middle of the day? That was just asking for repercussions.

There wasn't much I could do about it now, though.

The van continued and our excitement grew.

"How likely is it that there's some major resistance, again?"

"I figured that we have about half an hour to forty minutes until the PRT shows up. Maybe some Wards will be present, but no more than two or three capes", what worried me, though, was the Gap girl; I'd never told my teammates about her knowing about me – or our team, I wasn't entirely sure just how much she actually knew – and was reasonably tense.

I doubted anything serious would happen, though; just another job was waiting for us.

The only thing that concerned me was the current absence of any major gangs in the Bay; it meant that the small ones were next... the small ones and Coil.

Because, apparently, Gap hadn't been pleased enough with taking one Gang out in a single night; yesterday morning, the ABB's parahumans had been reported missing.

Bakuda, Oni Lee and Lung were simply _gone_ , and nobody had any clue as to where they were.

Nobody except me, of course.

My power more or less told me about the deaths of Lee and Bakuda, but it seemingly didn't think Lung was dead as well.

So, yeah. Gap had simply used the ABB... like a professional, reality-bending chess player.

What worried me was that I didn't know whether to think of them as pawns or higher pieces.

"If you're sure, then that's good. No need to worry too much, we can handle a few Wards", our fearless team leader spoke in his normal voice, not nearly as intimidating as his 'Grue-Voice'.

The van came to a halt and we stepped out. One of Coils men – one of those he had sent to aid us during this 'mission' – had already scouted the bank interior; not the busiest day, the security even seemed understaffed.

Oh well, I heard the flu had been going around...

We used the back exit, quickly and silently 'eliminated' one of the guards, and made ourselves ready.

The dogs charged in first, barking loudly and frightening the people inside the reception hall.

"Alright, this is a robbery. We won't take long and there's no reason to be afraid. Don't play the hero, and you won't get hurt. Got it?", Grue stated in his best 'evil-villain' voice, darkness already coming off of his form in small wisps. "Now, on the ground, everyone!"

Many complied immediately, but a few felt rebellious.

I took a look at Bitch and motioned to our 'audience'.

She made a noise and the dogs started to growl louder and showed their teeth.

I looked around the room again, as all of them now complied, a few not that willingly.

And my gaze landed on an odd pair.

 _Oh, fuck._

A middle-aged man and a pink haired girl were on the ground in one corner, the pink-haired, young woman looking confused as to why the man had pulled her down.

They themselves – except maybe for the strange aura the pink-haired one gave off – weren't the bad news or even that remarkable.

The frightening thing was what my power told me.

Someone tapped on my shoulder.

I slowly turned around and my eyes met the violet ones of my currently worst nightmare.

"Hi, would you mind if I took a bit of your time? I don't think you know what you're doing right now"

 _A/N: Ugh... a little awkward near the end (I wasn't sure how to properly write this). Maybe I'll update this chapter or something whenever I have a better solution. Not sure right now. I just wanted to try something... Anyway, thank you very much for reading._

 _-Azralan_


	11. Number 10

And now...

It's finally here.

 **Number 10:** _countless clouds of violet_

It has been a while.

I had been busy, these last few weeks; cleaning the city wasn't an easy task.

Why wasn't it like a simple clean-up, I had asked myself at first. The answer to that question as rather simple: because it wasn't a clean-up. It was an infestation.

The gangs had infested the city and rooted deep in its core.

Now, there were several ways to deal with an infestation.

Either you burnt it to the ground, uncaring for whatever might happen...

or you decided to solve the problem at its roots.

And sometimes, sometimes a burning flame was needed to set fire to the infestations hives and let the smoke suffocate it.

This train of thought brought me here.

After I had cleaned the street of some more Merchants, an idea had come to my mind.

Why did I go at this all alone?

I had promptly looked at the available assistance and found both the Empire, and the Protectorate insufficient allies, both for their own reasons.

The Protectorate because they were bound by rules, kept from doing what was needed by the chains of morality, but mostly public opinion.

They could never do what I saw as necessary.

The Empire was a different matter altogether. Because it had so many capes, it was a lot more dangerous than the ABB, at least, when I wanted to take them on all by myself.

Really, the Asians were the only real option.

Line Break

The rain poured from the sky as if the heavens were sad that this had to happen.

The sky was already dark, and the moon shone through a few gaps in the stormy clouds, barely illuminating the city at all.

I, for one, was standing in front of a casino.

It was the ABB's Lotus casino and Oni Lee, one of Lungs henchmen, had been sent here to be the diplomatic liaison between me and Lung, the ABB's leader.

I had to admit, I was kind of nervous, even though I did not show it; you didn't just agree to talk to the man that was portrayed as an insane suicide bomber, in a den full of thugs loyal only to him and his boss no less.

Oh, well.

The doors before me opened and I entered, ready to forge the alliance that would no doubt come in handy in the near future.

Line Break

"Thank you for meeting me here, Oni Lee"

"Of course, but let us get right to the point," he leaned forward, the candlelight giving his mask an eerie look, "what do you want?"

I leaned backward; my relaxation was to assure him that I wasn't afraid of him.

"I want to propose an alliance, be it temporary or permanently. I want to remove the other gangs from the city"

"And why would a wh-", I cut his train f thought with s subtle use of my power. Stuttering for a moment, he spoke up again, as if nothing had happened. "I see. I suppose Lung would be interested; how do we know you're not with the PRT, though? And why would we need _your_ help? What do you have to offer?"

I smirked a bit; so far, everything went according to plan. "I can provide quick travel for all your goons and assure that _nobody_ escapes the site. If you want to test my claims, I suppose we could lash out at the Merchants first. That is if you're willing to trust me for a while"

He looked thoughtful for a moment – at least, I think he did, he was wearing a mask, after all – and responded, exactly how I had planned it. "Alright, I see your point. I believe Lung would be willing to try out this kind of alliance..."

We both stood from our seats. "I'll take your word for it"

He motioned for me to follow him so he could lead me out the door. "Next Thursday will be the time to strike. I'd say we should be ready at around ten in the evening. Don't be late"

With that, I nodded to him and he went back inside.

That was number one on the list, completely fulfilled.

And... I had the feeling I was being watched. There wasn't anyone on ground level, however, and so I looked up; on top of a building was the best place to observe, anyway.

I looked around for a bit and met the gaze of a blond girl in full costume.

Not sure what gang she belonged to, but I didn't recognize her immediately, so it probably wasn't an important one.

What annoyed me, however, was that she was staring at me, analyzing me, while her teammates ignored me.

The tell-tale signs of a thinker.

Exerting my powers for a bit, I messed with the boundaries of her knowledge and understanding, effectively forcing her thought process to grind to a halt.

She flinched and I grinned, holding my parasol and walking towards the next alleyway.

Always these small fries trying to mettle with the big fish.

Line Break

Something weird had happened, but I wasn't quite sure what it was.

They had simply appeared in my little 'dimension' and I couldn't remember ever assimilating them...

It made me interested in them.

No one would say that was a good thing.

Line Break

The night had come and the plan was moving along splendidly.

The ABB was making a move on the Merchants, and the druggies were going down hard.

Apparently, nobody in the Bay's underworld really took the Merchants seriously, but none of the gangs would say no to taking them down, either.

The area was burning, the moon shone above and I felt like Nero, setting fire to a city.

The first plague was about to be removed from the city and I would be one step closer to my goal.

But, of course, the PRT had to crash the party.

Several vans had the area surrounded and the Protectorate's capes were stepping out of one to the north; a few of the Wards – I believed them to be Clockblocker, Shadow Stalker, Vista, and Kid Win, the last apparently not being Kid Win but Gallant – had also come to join the fight.

Meh, wouldn't save them.

I formed a gap before me and stepped in, my personal little dimension between dimensions greeting me warmly, and ripped open space before me to come out before the Protectorate.

Apparently, they were planning on crashing the 'party'. No surprise there.

"I am sorry, but I will not let you interfere with this fight. It is much too important for me"

The assembled capes stared at me and Armsmaster, in a blinding showcase of his social competency, immediately antagonized me. "And what makes you think you could stop us from interfering? Why would this fight even interest you?"

Why would it interest me? To make sure the gangs finally got removed, of course. Something the Protectorate and PRT should have made sure a long time ago. He was just fishing for information, but his attempts at obtaining it were weak and deserved amusement at best.

Seriously, why would you ask someone who wants to stop you from interfering with something 'important' why he was stopping you in the first place? To get more information, sure, but were there really people dumb enough to explain their plans like some Bond villain?

"Now, don't use that old tactic; I won't tell you my thoughts or plans, that would just ruin the surprise... It should be enough for you to know that I am going to stand in your way, should you decide to interfere with the Dragon's fight"

They were silent for the tiniest moment and then Shadow Stalker spoke up.

She was quiet and her words were muttered under her breath, but I could hear them.

"-the Fuck... Hebert?"

And the realization hit me.

That's why nothing was done...

Hm, maybe the Protectorate deserved to be eliminated as well?

Cold detachment really wasn't good for rational thought, at least not in that case.

I thought about taking a break after this.

There was a short word-exchange going on between Miss Militia and Shadow Stalker, but I didn't really care at the moment.

I only started paying attention again when Armsmaster barked at me. "Don't think we'll let you stop us. Out directive is to stop Lung from further escalation and prevent the fire from spreading further. Out of our way!"

I frowned at his choice; I also didn't like having guns trained on me, ut I suppose nobody liked that. "Well, if you really want to go through with this... Be warned, though. Once you decide to fight there is no going back"

Armsmaster – and I would never have pegged a hero as revered as him to be this impulsive – attacked head on... With the flat side of his halberd.

I mean, seriously, if you decided to fight, at least, do so without holding back. Honestly, I never understood why people didn't use their strongest attack first.

As it was, I simply held ut my hand and his halberd stopped dead in its tracks.

Maybe he would start fighting seriously if I mocked him a little? He didn't seem to like having his authority challenged. Probably some kind of inferiority complex. "But since you decided to fight me, at least, stop fooling around, Arms _master_ "

I think I nailed the mocking tone because his face – at least the lower half of it – contorted in rage.

"Clock, freeze her!" I heard Miss Militia shout.

Nope, not happening.

I looked eyes with the boy in the clock-themed costume and saw him already moving his hand forwards, the limb somehow moving at extreme speeds and further than it should have.

Hastily creating two gaps, one in front of me and in the trajectory of his hand, and one behind him, I actually managed to get him to freeze himself.

And soon several others engaged me and I had to jump back.

While it might have looked like I had to retreat for a moment, Clockblocker's unavailability was such a huge advantage I simply couldn't waste.

"Alright, now that he's out of the game there's no reason to hold back anymore..."

… I had always wanted to just let loose.

I flexed my power, the feeling pure bliss to me, and ripped open massive gaps in the air, all around us.

I had to hurry a bit, but taking out the capes first was going to make things a lot easier for the ABB.

It was time to play for a bit...

Line Break

It was tiring, this whole cleansing the city business.

It was tiring but necessary, and the date for the next Invasion, this time, one into Empire territory, was approaching fast.

After the decisive victory, we had when we fought the Merchants, Lung had decided he could trust me for now.

Not the best decision, but he was right, at least for the moment.

I really needed a vacation, though. It was a good thing I could use my gaps to travel around the world as I pleased.

Hawaii? Too close to the states.

Mexico? Same reason.

Somewhere in Europe? France, maybe? Interesting idea, but it didn't quite feel right.

Considering my temporary alliance with the ABB, it might be a good idea to visit one of the Asian countries.

Korea? The tensions there were too high at the moment, so that was out.

China? Good idea, but I didn't want to accidentally meddle with the Yàngbăn, I wanted to take some time for myself, not fight with a cult.

Thailand? A good option. Maybe.

Japan? Something about that idea intrigued me; I decided I'd take a look.

Being able to travel quickly to anywhere in the world had it's perks, really.

I waved my hand and opened a portal; it was time to explore.

Line Break

Exhausted, I sat down at a fountain, a samurai statue with a sword made of water, and just relaxed.

A girl sat down next to me, her small dog jumping up to sit on her lap.

The girl itself looked weird, at least for American standards, and her pink hair swayed in the slight breeze; she wasn't unattractive, though.

She turned to me with a questioning look and started talking in Japanese.

"Is this your first time here? Pardon me for saying this, but you look like a foreigner", suddenly I was rather glad I had acquired a way to understand other languages, "I understand your exhaustion, tourism tours can be rather stressful"

I turned to her with a slight smile. "I didn't really have a guide to show me around, I prefer exploring things by myself" That, and no guide would follow me across the country to visit twenty-four different cities within eight hours.

"Well, if you'd like, I could show you around a bit", her thoughtful expression turned into a smile.

I thought about it. Yeah, that might be a good idea.

Line Break

I groaned as I awoke and my head pounded.

Damn, this Sake stuff is strong.

At that moment, I craved water.

A glass full of the delicious liquid was shoved in front of my face.

"Here, I thought you might need it after last night", Yuyuko smiled at me.

I nodded in thanks and took the glass, gulping it's contents down greedily.

"I've prepared some simple breakfast so you won't have to travel with an empty stomach. It should also help against the aches you'll inevitably have"

"Thank you, thank you very much", I stood up and looked around the small house once again. It was neatly organized and there was a surprising amount of books stored in shelves all around the place.

Yuyuko came back into the room with a _huge_ plate.

"Alright then, eat up. I wasn't sure how much you'd eat so I went with the amount I usually do. Come on, don't be shy"

At that moment, as I looked at the sheer amount of food in front of me, I knew that this woman was a total glutton.

…

And I still envied her for her figure.

Line Beak

"Now that I've shown you around, you'll have to do the same, soon!", her eyes sparkled a bit, "I've always wanted to see America"

I smiled at that. "Sure, but I'm going to be busy for quite some time. I'll visit when I can free some hours, though"

She gave me a quick, friendly hug and I waved her goodbye before stepping into the gap.

Line Break

Despite all that I've done for him, I felt slightly guilty.

No... scratch that; I felt very guilty.

All the time, I knew that I'd have to confront my father sooner or later, if only to say goodbye.

But I'd never have thought that it would be this difficult...

And because of it's apparent difficulty, I decided to do it all in one swoop. There was simply no getting around it.

I just really hoped he'd seen the note and understood.

And suddenly, I was standing in front of the door to the house. I wasn't ready to do this and I knew it.

I reached forward... and pressed the button for the doorbell.

I heard some frantic steps inside and then the door swung open.

"Taylor! You're alive!"

I was enveloped in a hug.

We hadn't really been close ever since Mom died, so the hug was surprising. Well, maybe I simply wasn't used to being hugged.

As it was, I simply hugged him back.

"Everything is going to be alright, Dad... I'm fine", I tried to sound assuring.

Eventually, he let go.

I took his arm, "Let's get inside"

Line Break

Oh, how much had I missed my dad's lasagne.

The smell in the kitchen was heavenly, and the atmosphere rather cosy. It was dark and cold outside and warm in the kitchen.

The only thing that was slightly unpleasant was the talk with my dad.

"Please, Taylor, don't do something like that again. I can't live worrying about you all the time", his pleas made me feel guilty.

"Dad... I'm doing this for you. And it's only one last big fight", I tried to be reassuring, "You don't have to worry. I can handle it"

"Taylor... you know that, once you've finished with the Empire, the ABB's there, too", his voice was truly tinged with worry.

I smiled knowingly. "Yes, but they only have two capes... well, three by now"

"So? You're not going up against Lung of all people! I won't let you get hurt"

I'd suspected this might happen. "Dad, I know what I'm doing. I won't fight him directly"

Silenced reigned for a few minutes, each of us eating our share of food.

Finally, Dad sighed. "You really are like your mother, you know. Once she had her mind set on something, I couldn't talk her out of it", he looked regretful, "Alright, fine. Do it, but after that you're staying safe!"

I smiled at him. "I'm glad you understand..."

Line Break

I found myself anticipating what was about to happen.

I spied through a small gap, floating at about eye-height. The Empire had just surrounded a few of the ABB's thugs and behind me, Lung was getting restless.

I turned around. "Alright, they're almost finished. Lee, Lung, start fighting. It doesn't have to be serious, just enough to let the dragon grow"

The Empire was in for a surprise.

This was actually a last minute change in plans. There were a lot of Empire capes and they would kill Lung too easily if he hadn't already grown as soon as we engaged them.

As I listened to Kaiser's actually quite inspiring speech, I lifted my hand and the ABB behind me got ready.

I opened the gap further and got ready to deliver the ultimate "evil mastermind" act.

"We all know this was not the real invasion; that move was excessively dumb, even for the ABB. A storm is approaching, a storm of an unknown sort, but a storm nonetheless...", Kaiser's words rang through the night.

A storm, huh? I suppose I could work with that.

I stepped out of the gap ad somehow, not a single Empire-Cape had noticed me.

"A storm of fire, perhaps? Burning through the night, it's flames kindled by the moon shining oh so bright", I was so excited for this – a final assault at the gangs of the bay – I was positively giddy, "Come forth, my storm, and do as you please. Feast and burn with vigour, for your fuel, shall be your enemies..."

I swung my arm dramatically and exerted my power. Behind me and surrounding the capes of the Empire, a _lot_ of gaps opened.

"Come forth, and finish this fight!"

Line Break

Well, that had been surprisingly easy.

While I mostly defended myself, I was quick to strike whenever possible.

The Empire didn't have a chance.

With Lung already amped up a bit, they had no way of dealing with him quickly.

The only cape the Empire had that might have been annoying was Purity and she hadn't even been there.

Sure, one could count Hookwolf as a problem, but honestly? I simply had him swallowed and ripped apart.

So, when the fight was finally over, I decided to progress with the plan.

Lung himself had calmed down; I needed him to be able to talk properly for this.

"So, now that we're done with the gangs... I've got a proposition for you"

Lung looked slightly wary, but never afraid; battle euphoria was a powerful thing.

"My goal is to eventually create a world of peace", I used my arms to emphasize our surroundings, "However, as you can see, this world is far too infested with violence to ever be truly peaceful. It is simply unfit to be the paradise I'm dreaming of", I looked him in the eyes, "I wish to offer you a place in the world I am going to create. I still need to fins a way to do that, but it will come to existence eventually", I held out my hand to him, "So, will you stand with me or against me?"

Lung looked thoughtful.

Line Break

The food was really good, as expected from a high-class restaurant.

Dad was well-dressed for the occasion and he seemed happy.

I was happy as well, happy to spend some time with my father.

It was also rather amusing to see how he was still looking around in disbelief.

I could understand that, though. I would be weirded out as well if I were in his place.

Once we finished eating, the waitress received the payment and Dad and I got ready to leave.

We moved along the crowded streets of Osaka, my father looking around in wonder and me looking for my friend. Yuyuko had told me that she wanted to give my dad a little tour and I just couldn't say no. She was a very convincing girl.

Then I spotted her and waved. Grabbing Dad's hand, we went over to her and greeted her.

At that moment, I saw something gleam in both of their eyes.

…

Please, no...

Line Break

My dad had enjoyed the tour immensely.

Or maybe it was my friends form-fitting clothing he enjoyed that much. I shuddered.

I still found it all rather weird. I mean... Yuyuko was what, twenty-one? The age gap was just way too big.

Anyway, my father had invited her over to return the sightseeing favour and, while I didn't think that sightseeing in a city like Brockton Bay was the best idea ever, I wasn't necessarily against it, either.

We were just going to the bank to lift off some money when it happened.

I had been visiting the restroom, for obvious reasons, and when I returned...

Where these guys serious? Robbing a bank when the Protectorate only had the small gangs to worry about?

Come to think of it... why weren't they there?

I approached a blonde girl in a black and purple bodysuit.

"Hi, would you mind if I took a bit of your time? I don't think you know what you're doing right now", she really didn't.

She tensed visibly and sweat poured down her forehead.

"Uhm... s-sure..."

I smiled a little, it wasn't a nice smile. "Good. But first, would you kindly tell your teammates to _fuck off_?"

Line Break

"So... let me get this straight, you're all employed by this 'Coil' guy and none of you actually want it?", this story was just a little bit bullshit.

"Ah, no... It's just me that was hired at gunpoint, the others joined willingly", so the blonde was singing because she wanted to save her own skin, huh?

"And you want me to help you getting rid of him?"

"Well, I do. I'm not sure about the others"

I leaned back and took a sip of tea. This was both total bullshit and far too easy.

"Hm... He's a crime boss, right?", the blonde nodded, "In that case I'm taking him down, anyway. Thanks for informing me, though"

She relaxed a little at my more or less friendly tone.

"Since you didn't steal anything I'll let you go for now. I'm not sure about the others, but I can offer you temporary housing at a friends house. It's far enough away that this Coil shouldn't be able to get you"

She looked hopeful at that.

"But only if you're ready to leave behind a life of crime. I will not aid a criminal"

She nodded rapidly.

"Good"

Line Break

I was pretty sure I had finally found a way.

The tree's leaves swayed in the wind and the atmosphere was very idyllic overall.

I had finally found the right place.

I stepped through the torii and entered the shrine grounds.

The shrine itself was rather small, but the grounds were very well maintained and everything looked rather beautiful.

There was a young girl of about twelve years of age sweeping the grounds, next to her there was a bright, floating shape she was talking to amiably.

They hadn't noticed me yet, it seemed.

I folded my parasol and thrust the tip to the ground.

The sound echoed through the shrine grounds and I immediately had their attention.

"Minako Hakurei, shrine maiden of the Hakurei shrine, I have come to make you an offer"

 _A/N: And it's finally done. Took me long enough. Anyway, I want to thank you all for the positive feedback so far. This is the end of the first Arc of this story and the real stuff shall begin soon. The Bay's clear of gangs, Coil will be dealt with and Danny might have a girlfriend. Looks good so far._

 _Thank you all for staying with this story until now, I hope the next chapters will please you as well._

 _-Azralan_


End file.
